Shakes Glacier by Jet-Boat
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port
Wrangell, Alaska, US
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activityLevel
Easy Activity
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excursionType
All
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wheelchairAccessible
No
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startingAtPrice
$310
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minimumAge
Information Not Currently Available
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duration
Approximately 3½ Hours
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mealsIncluded
Meals not included
Located in the Stikine River Le Conte Wilderness area, Shakes Glacier, at the head of Shakes Lake, is a wide field of ice approachable by jet boat.
Your tour begins with your highly-skilled captain navigating the 29-foot state-of-the-art, covered and heated, shallow-draft, aluminum, twin-engine jet boat across the mouth of the Stikine River. The licensed captain is also a wildlife biologist with extensive marine and fisheries experience. The first mate is a retired US Fish & Wildlife manager or a biologist. You'll discover that this delta is an ever-changing maze of sandbars. Seals, eagles and gulls prey on the salmon navigating these shallow, silted waters.
Your destination is the Shear Pin Alley of Shakes Slough, which leads to Shakes Lake. The boat crosses a shallow riffle and takes a hairpin curve before entering the lake, which is choked with icebergs grounded at the outfall. Shakes Glacier is your destination, about six miles across the deep lake, with its glacially-carved walls. The Captain will approach the glacier and you'll learn about the geology of Southeast Alaska and how the land was formed. There will be plenty of photo opportunities.
Please note: Participants are not allowed to walk on the glacier. The boat features bus-style seating. There are no restrooms on the boat. Not advisable for guests requiring frequent access to restroom facilities; there is only an extremely basic wilderness rest stop which requires negotiating a very steep, narrow ramp off the boat's bow and walking a wilderness path; please take this into consideration when booking the tour. A maximum of 12 total people are allowed on shore at any one time. This is a freshwater environment and therefore has a healthy mosquito population; bring insect repellent. Wildlife sightings are likely but are not guaranteed.